Sack holder



July 7, 1964 J. H. DOEBELE 3,140,070

SACK HOLDER Filed Oct. 18, 1961 .LHJLLm m s s Joseph HDoebele BY wwffi United States Patent 3,140,070 SACK HOLDER Joseph H. Doebele, 2007 College Heights Road, Manhattan, Kans. Filed Oct. 18, 1961, Ser. No. 145,807 2 Claims. Cl. 248-97) This invention relates to improvements for sack holding devices generally and more particularly to sack holding devices having upright supports and being adaptable for mounting on weighing machines.

Briefly, the present invention has as its primary objective, the provision of a sack holder having a base member and upright sack supporting elements for holding a sack open and in an upright position to facilitate its filling with any desired article or articles. In the preferred embodiment of this invention, the base portion is adapted to be mounted on any conventional Weighing machine. The combination of weighing machine and sack holder therefore enables a sack being supported in an open, upright position in the device to be filled quickly and easily, and to the desired weight in one simple operation. The improved sack holder device of this invention has its most practical application in the sacking or packaging of merchandise such as produce. Such items are frequently prepackaged in grocery stores from bulk containers and placed on sales counters in packages ranging commonly from about 3 to pounds. Potatoes and apples, for example, are frequently sold in this manner, and large volumes may be quickly and easily packaged to the desired weight in approximately 50% of the time required without use of the present sack holder device.

Previously known sack holding devices of which I am aware are shown in US. Patents 750,174 and 1,694,079. The primary disadvantages of these patented devices defeating their commercial success has been their inability to readily and quickly receive a sack for support, their relatively weak or unstable support of the sack due to the unsatisfactory length adjustment mechanisms requiring securement by bolt or the like, and which tend to slip, interfere or injure the sack by sharp edges, or, are otherwise unduly complex and expensive, and their lack of structure permitting fast, semi-permanent mounting on a conventional weighing machine. These and other disadvantages of the prior art are overcome by the present sack holder which is provided with a novel base for mounting on a weighing machine, and with relatively rigid upright sack support elements free from cumbersome or complex adjustable length mechanisms and yet which are adjustable by providing different length sack supporting rack elements on the upper ends thereof for accommodating sacks of varying size.

Accordingly, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide a novel, improved sack holding de vice comprised of a base member adapted to be quickly and easily mounted on any conventional weighing machine upon removal of the customary weighing pan, and a relatively rigid vertical support member mounted on the base member and adapted to support a pair of sack holding racks telescopingly fitted with the vertical support member and having a substantially horizontal, relatively smoothly finished sack engaging rod supported inwardly of the vertical support member.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a novel sack holding device comprised of a base member readily adapted to be mounted upon any conventional weighing machine, a support member having a pair of upright support elements, and a sack holding rack mounted on each of the vertical support elements whereby a strong, dependable support is provided to freely and easily accept a sack for support on a weighing machine for simultaneous weighing of materials such as produce being placed in the sack.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in this art from the appended claims and following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a preferred sack holding device constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention holding a sack and being mounted on a'conventional weighing machine;

FIGURE 2 is a plan view of the sack holding device of the present invention as mounted on a weighing device;

FIGURE 3 is a side elevation view of the sack holding device illustrated in FIGURE 1; and,

FIGURE 4 is a front elevation view of the sack holding device illustrated in FIGURE 1.

Referring now to the drawings, and particularly to FIGURE 1, a weighing machine 10 is illustrated having weight indicator 14, and a Weight receiving block 18 connected with the weight determining apparatus (not shown) in machine 10. Secured to block 18 is the preferred sack holder embodiment of this invention indicated generally as 22 and illustrated supporting a sack 26.

Sack holder 22 is comprised of a base member 30, a substantially U shaped support member 34 having upright support arms 38 and 42, and a substantially T shaped rack having a horizontal bag engaging bar 46 and trunk 50, mounted on each of the support arms.

Base member 30 is preferably a flat, elongated metal plate having a pair of slots 54 for receiving bolts 58 which secure the base to element 18 of the Weighing machine 10. The slots permit bolts 58 to be spaced apart in any suitable manner and provide the advantage of making the sack holding device of this invention useable on most commercially available weighing machines while requiring a minimum amount of installation work. Weighing machines are commonly used today with a rectangular weighing pan secured to block 18, which pan may be dismounted and the same bolt receiving bores used in securing the pan in place may be used for securing sack holder base 30 in place. If desired, the base plate may be provided with other suitable means for securing it in place in lieu of bolts 58. For example clamp brackets may be used to attach base 30 to block 18, or bolts 58 may be located beyond the perimeter of block 18 and (being sufliciently long to extend below the bottom thereof) may be received in a plate or bolt receiving bar extending between two or more bolts to thereby clamp block 18 between the plate or bolt receiving bars and the bottom surface of base plate 30 when the bolts are tightened. Slots 54 are preferred since they will most easily adapt the sack holding device to the majority of conventional weighing machines having the weighing pan removed.

Support member 34 is permanently secured at its base or central portion to base plate 30 as by welding, bolt ing, or welding and bolting, or by any other suitable means, and is formed of relatively strong material, as for example, steel or the like material. The cross sectional area of member 34 is substantially rectangular, the thickness thereof being /10% inch in its preferred embodiment. Vertical support arms 38 and 42 extend at substantially right angles to the central portion of support member 34. The upper portion of vertical support arms 38 and 42 are cut to form tongues 62 and 66, and shoulders 70 and 74 for engaging rack trunks 50 and supporting the racks in position.

The substantially horizontal sack engaging bars 46 of each rack element is secured at approximately its middle to rack trunk 50. The trunk portion 50 is tubular and has a lower section (approximately one-half thereof as shown in FIGURES 3 and 4) having a cross sectional configuration approximately corresponding to that of the cross sectional area of a tongue member 62 or 66, and is adapted to be fitted over and in snug engagement with, tongue 62 or 66. Shoulders 70 and 74 on vertical support arms 38 and 42 limit relative vertical movement of arms 38 and 42 and rack trunks 50 thereby preventing vertical slippage of the rack during use and affording positive positioning of the rack elements at the desired height so that sack 26 being supported on sack engaging bars 46 will extend downwardly to, and rest on base plate 30 and the central portion of support member 34. The desired vertical height at which bars 46 will be maintained may be obtained by selecting a suitable length for arms 38 and 42, or by selecting a rack having a long or short trunk section as the case may be. Thus, for 10 lb, potato sacks of conventional diameter, it has been found that the rack elements are preferably 10 /2 inches long, whereas, for 5 lb. potato bags 6 inches is desirable.

In its normal intended use the sack holding device of this invention will be most effectively used repetitively in filling a large number of sacks of the same size. The rigid support afforded by the relatively strong vertical support arms 38 and 42, and of the relatively rugged construction of the rack trunks 50 permit repeated use without bending, even when exposed to substantial weight on the rack bars. After filling all bags of a certain size it is a simple matter to modify the sack holding device to accommodate sacks of other sizes by substituting rack elements of different size.

The upper section of each of trunks 50 have less width than the lower tongue-receiving portions. Moreover, the upper trunk portions are curved so that when they are positioned on support arms 38 and 42 sack engaging bars 46 are located inwardly with respect to vertical support arms 38 and 42. Sack 26 draped over support bars 46 as illustrated in FIGURE 1 will therefore be supported wholly within or between arms 38 and 42. The curvature of the upper trunk portions is such that the weight of bag 26 and its contents will be transmitted and supported primarily by the vertical arms and will thereby create only slight forces tending to urge vertical support arms 38 and 42 toward each other and to possibly distort the sack opening or cause possible injury to the sack.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The present embodiment is therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description, and all changes which come within the meaning and range 4- 0f equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

What is claimed and desired to be secured by United States Letters Patent is:

1. A sack holding device for supporting a sack on a weighing machine, said device comprising a base memher, a vertical supporting member mounted on one side of said base member, and a pair of sack holding racks mounted on said vertical supporting member; said base member being substantially fiat and having slot means therein adapting it to fit on conventional weighing machines; said vertical support member being an integral, substantially U-shaped piece rigidly secured at its central portion to said base and having a pair of spaced, upwardly directed support arms, said arms each being substantially rectangular in cross section and having an end portion of reduced cross sectional area, and said rack members each being substantially T-shaped and having a substantially horizontal, relatively smoothly finished sack engaging rod, and a tubular mounting bar secured at one end thereof to a central portion of said bar and having its other end deformed to the configuration of said reduced cross sectional area of said support arm portions and telescopingly and freely fitted on said arm portions.

2. A sack holding device for supporting a sack on a weighing device comprising a base member, a pair of vertical supports on opposite sides of said base member, and a substantially horizontal sack supporting rack element on each of said vertical supports; the improvement comprising slot means in said base member for mounting said device on conventional weighing machines, and said vertical supports each comprising a lower portion rigidly secured in upright position to said base member and having free end portions of reduced cross sectional area and an upper section rigidly secured to a central portion of said rack element the other end being deformed to the configuration of one of said free end portions of said vertical support members and telescopingly and freely engaged therewith, and said upper sections being arched inwardly near the upper end thereof whereby said rack elements are supported on substantially vertical supports but relatively inwardly of said supports.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 209,663 Dalzell Nov. 5, 1878 1,694,079 Nicholas Dec. 4, 1928 FOREIGN PATENTS 324,176 Great Britain Jan. 23, 1930 

1. A SACK HOLDING DEVICE FOR SUPPORTING A SACK ON A WEIGHING MACHINE, SAID DEVICE COMPRISING A BASE MEMBER, A VERTICAL SUPPORTING MEMBER MOUNTED ON ONE SIDE OF SAID BASE MEMBER, AND A PAIR OF SACK HOLDING RACKS MOUNTED ON SAID VERTICAL SUPPORTING MEMBER; SAID BASE MEMBER BEING SUBSTANTIALLY FLAT AND HAVING SLOT MEANS THEREIN ADAPTING IT TO FIT ON CONVENTIONAL WEIGHING MACHINES; SAID VERTICAL SUPPORT MEMBER BEING AN INTEGRAL, SUBSTANTIALLY U-SHAPED PIECE RIGIDLY SECURED AT ITS CENTRAL PORTION TO SAID BASE AND HAVING A PAIR OF SPACED, UPWARDLY DIRECTED SUPPORT ARMS, SAID ARMS EACH BEING SUBSTANTIALLY RECTANGULAR IN CROSS SECTION AND HAVING AN END PORTION OF REDUCED CROSS SECTIONAL AREA, AND SAID RACK MEMBERS EACH BEING SUBSTANTIALLY T-SHAPED AND HAVING A SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTAL, RELATIVELY SMOOTHLY FINISHED SACK ENGAGING ROD, AND A TUBULAR MOUNTING BAR SECURED AT ONE END THEREOF TO A CENTRAL PORTION OF SAID BAR AND HAVING ITS OTHER END DEFORMED TO THE CONFIGURATION OF SAID REDUCED CROSS SECTIONAL AREA OF SAID SUPPORT ARM PORTIONS AND TELESCOPINGLY AND FREELY FITTED ON SAID ARM PORTIONS. 